The Roman Catholic archbishop of Los...

STATING HIS CASE.

March 14, 1990

ROME — STATING HIS CASE. The Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles on Tuesday defended his appeal to older nuns and priests to test an experimental AIDS vaccine, saying ''the common good'' sometimes requires taking risks. Archbishop Roger Mahony also said he had been questioned about his appeal by Vatican officials but they were not concerned after learning details of the plan. Critics say the prototype vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk could accidentally infect the volunteers with the deadly AIDS virus. Mahony spoke at a news conference called to discuss the appeal. He was on a visit to Rome on separate Vatican business.